TY - JOUR
AU - F. Liapi
AU - A. M. Chater
AU - G. Randhawa
AU - A. Stephenson
AU - Y. Pappas
A1 - 
AB - BACKGROUND: Integrated care uses inter-professional and inter-organisational collaboration to ensure quality care for those with complex healthcare needs. Whilst inter-organisational collaboration is seen as a facilitator of integration, it has its own complexities and challenges. This study sought to investigate barriers to and facilitators of inter-organisational integration between the partnered organisations of an integrated care initiative in Luton, UK, as perceived by healthcare professionals. METHODS: Face to face semi – structured interviews were conducted between November 2019 and March 2020 with twenty service providers of an integrated service for physical and mental health. Thematic analysis was used to explore the experiences and perceptions of service providers on the integration of healthy lifestyle and mental health services of “Total Wellbeing Luton”. RESULTS: Five primary themes were identified: (1) Culture, (2) Communication Structures, (3) Strategic alignment, (4) Workforce dynamics, and (5) Expectation and reality of the integration. The majority of the identified themes reflect factors that facilitate or impede the integration between the participating organisations. Excellent relationships between healthcare professionals and staff’s motivation have been identified as facilitators to inter-organisational integration, while high staff turnover, lack of shared IT system and absence of co-location have been identified as barriers. Also, a theme reveals that often there was a discrepancy between the expected and the actual implementation and outcomes of integration. CONCLUSIONS: As a part of a larger evaluation programme, this study attempts a comprehensive understanding of the inter-organisational integration in the specific context of Total Wellbeing Luton. The findings and recommendations can support the inter-organisational integration of current and future integrated care initiatives in the UK and elsewhere. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-025-13051-7.
AD - Institute for Health Research, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, LU2 8LE, UK. fani.liapi@beds.ac.uk.; Institute for Sport and Physical Activity Research, University of Bedfordshire, Bedford, MK41 9EA, UK. fani.liapi@beds.ac.uk.; Institute for Sport and Physical Activity Research, University of Bedfordshire, Bedford, MK41 9EA, UK.; University College London, Centre for Behaviour Change, London, WC1E 7HB, UK.; Institute for Health Research, University of Bedfordshire, Luton, LU2 8LE, UK.; Turning Point, London, E1 8AA, UK.
AN - 40640843
BT - BMC Health Serv Res
C5 - Education & Workforce
CP - 1
DA - Jul 10
DO - 10.1186/s12913-025-13051-7
DP - NLM
ET - 20250710
IS - 1
JF - BMC Health Serv Res
LA - eng
N2 - BACKGROUND: Integrated care uses inter-professional and inter-organisational collaboration to ensure quality care for those with complex healthcare needs. Whilst inter-organisational collaboration is seen as a facilitator of integration, it has its own complexities and challenges. This study sought to investigate barriers to and facilitators of inter-organisational integration between the partnered organisations of an integrated care initiative in Luton, UK, as perceived by healthcare professionals. METHODS: Face to face semi – structured interviews were conducted between November 2019 and March 2020 with twenty service providers of an integrated service for physical and mental health. Thematic analysis was used to explore the experiences and perceptions of service providers on the integration of healthy lifestyle and mental health services of “Total Wellbeing Luton”. RESULTS: Five primary themes were identified: (1) Culture, (2) Communication Structures, (3) Strategic alignment, (4) Workforce dynamics, and (5) Expectation and reality of the integration. The majority of the identified themes reflect factors that facilitate or impede the integration between the participating organisations. Excellent relationships between healthcare professionals and staff’s motivation have been identified as facilitators to inter-organisational integration, while high staff turnover, lack of shared IT system and absence of co-location have been identified as barriers. Also, a theme reveals that often there was a discrepancy between the expected and the actual implementation and outcomes of integration. CONCLUSIONS: As a part of a larger evaluation programme, this study attempts a comprehensive understanding of the inter-organisational integration in the specific context of Total Wellbeing Luton. The findings and recommendations can support the inter-organisational integration of current and future integrated care initiatives in the UK and elsewhere. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-025-13051-7.
PY - 2025
SN - 1472-6963
SP - 947
ST - Factors that influence inter-organisational integration: a qualitative exploration of service providers' perspectives from an integrated care initiative
T1 - Factors that influence inter-organisational integration: a qualitative exploration of service providers' perspectives from an integrated care initiative
T2 - BMC Health Serv Res
TI - Factors that influence inter-organisational integration: a qualitative exploration of service providers' perspectives from an integrated care initiative
U1 - Education & Workforce
U3 - 10.1186/s12913-025-13051-7
VL - 25
VO - 1472-6963
Y1 - 2025
ER -